The Hidden Leaf and the Akatsuki RunAway
by Ohitsujiza-Chan
Summary: Natsuko is a young shinobi from the Village hidden in the rain, who has connections to the Akatsuki but after she escapes the village that is under Pain's control she heads for the Hidden Leaf Village. Little did she know the attitude towards her there would be the same and her mysterious past comes back after Pain arrives to destroy the leaf village.
1. Chapter 1

Rain.

It always rains here.

There's nothing we can do about it, our leader created this rain to spy on us. Of course we all agree to his idiotic rules because there is no real way out of it. If we try to escape the city he'll know and kill us but I won't stay here forever. Before he came to rule we had Hanzō but it always rained then too, the storm that resides over the village makes sure of that. I should be grateful that this is my home but I'm not. I want to find a way to leave and never come back. I have always been mistreated here. It's not my fault that I am the mistake of the Akatsuki. It's not something that is meant to be talked about but I'm sure that if I can leave the village then all the constant staring and humiliation of being affiliated with those monsters will leave.

I've hear that the Village hidden in the leaves is a beautiful place with lots of grass and minimal rain. I've also heard around the village that it's home to some of the most friendly shinobi, if I could find a way to travel there, then maybe I'd be safe from by life-time burden. However the thought is easier than action upon it as the village is guarded by Pain's rain. If he could pause it for even a minute or two then maybe I would be able to slip out without catching the eye of the Akatsuki. Considering it was the only plan I had, then I would have to go with it. Trust me, If there was another way I would of found it but with only water style and taijutsu to company me, it would be no good if they caught me.

* * *

><p>Every moment Natsuko was on edge, waiting for Pain's shield of rain to fall. She thought maybe she could get lucky for once in her life and for once she was right. For his barrier to fall so suddenly, Pain must be in battle, although she didn't pay close attention to why it had fallen as her thoughts were on leaving the horrific wet land and finding somewhere she would be safe. Natsuko hadn't quite thought about the time it would take to cross the land and sea as it took her weeks of constant travelling to reach her destination. As she walked along the dusty path towards the village her heart filled up with hope as she saw the gates come into view. With the last of her strength from the long journey she began to run towards the gates. Within her excitement she had forgotten about the guards that were positioned at the gate and she had ran past them. However she didn't get far before she had been gripped by the collar of her chunin jacket by one of the guards.<p>

"What do you think your doing?!" The yelling the guard was doing, created a scene and when Natsuko realized everyone was staring at her an embarrassed blush came to her cheeks.

"I was a little too excited to be here, sorry" She said with a smirk on her her feet found the ground again she straightened out her jacket and looked up at the guard and began to lie to him.

"I was sent from the village hidden in the rain, I must speak to the Hokage at once!" It was a very convincing act that she was putting on and lucky for her the guard bought her lie. As she was escorted to the Hokage's office she glanced round the village. It was more beautiful than she could of ever imagined.

The first thing that caught Natsuko's eyes was the lack of rain. In her home village, the residents would either be running around with umbrellas or using rebreathers. Usually the shinobi of the village would wear rebreathers so that they would have both hands free for battle, however Natsuko hated those things, so she would walk through the village with her black umbrella with the villages kanji characters painted on.

The sun made everything look so beautiful; the luscious grass, the training shinobi and even the architecture of the village was incredible compared to the tall buildings if the rain village. Her thoughts were cut short when the guards let her into the Hokage's office and shut the door as they left. It wasn't until Natsuko had put her hands behind her back and walked to the Hokage's desk that she realized that the Hokage wasn't alone. As she glanced round Natsuko noticed three shinobi standing behind her.

The first had a look of complete bewilderment on her face. It seemed that this pink hair shinobi wasn't quite sure on Natsuko's presence as her eyes kept flickering from the village headband tied around her head. Who could blame her? The shinobi world wasn't in the best state and suddenly a ninja from a far off land comes to their village? Of course it was suspicious but Natsuko meant no harm. However she knew that keeping her history to herself was the best option she had.

The second girl looked as if she was about to shout and lash out at the visitor at any given moment. The same was with the scruffy looking boy with fang marks on his cheeks. Natsuko did her best to ignore them but their glares burnt a hole in her head.

"I am Natsuko of the village hidden in the rain" She paused to take off her headband and put it on the desk before looking back up at the Hokage with a serious look glinting in her eyes. Before Natsuko continued, she heard the red fanged boy snicker.

"It's funny because your name means summer but all you know is rain." Natsuko's eye twitched at his comment and she yelled.

"You think it's funny that I spent my whole life in the rain?!" The glares that he was receiving from the rain shinobi could of killed, if only looks worked that way.

"I have travelled from the village hidden in the rain to request residents in your beautiful village. I was poorly treated in the rain and with the new leadership everything became much worse."

Land Tsunade's brows knitted together as she hit the desk with her fist. Everyone flinched except Natsuko who was used to the anger of the Akatsuki.

"Who do you think you are?! Coming all this way to my village for something so pathetic!"

" Pathetic?! I do not see it as pathetic. I was shunned and known as an outsider to my own village! They did not want me to be there, I was never a true shinobi of the rain. I was a mistake!" Natsuko screamed back before she back up a few steps and bowing.

"I am very sorry for yelling. As you may know my people have short tempers." It was true. The shinobi of the village hidden in the rain was known to have short tempers. Whether that was due to constantly being rained on, or the fact that most of them were forced into assassination missions. There was no way to tell.

With a slow grunt Lady Tsunade rubbed her forehead and glared back at the girl in front of her. It was clear to everyone present that the Hokage wasn't in a good mood with this sudden visitor.

" This is highly irregular but I will put you under one week of surveillance with one of jounin shinobi to check you are not dangerous. However, I warn you that if you even think of causing any trouble around here I will personally deal with you."

"Of course, thank you for your kindness but that won't be needed, I don't intend to cause any trouble"

Once she had bowed again, a silver haired shinobi entered the room to take the place of her escort and supervisor.

"This is Kakashi Hatake and he will be your escort for the next week. One toe out of line and your gone" Was all she said before ushering me and Kakashi to leave.

When they were outside the room Kakashi smiled at Natsuko and introduced himself.

"Hello, as Lady Hokage said I'm Kakashi. You'll be living with me for the next week but don't try anything"His words made Natsuko slightly angrily and she let out a deep sigh.

As I said, I don't intent to, however my past is mine and mine along got it?" She asked him with a stone cold look him his eyes and all he did was nod with a little hesitation.

She wasn't about to let her past from the the rain and the Akatsuki ruin her new chance at a peaceful shinobi life.


	2. Chapter 2

"1...2...3...4"

A blue hair girl was yelling out to herself as she trained in one of the many training grounds of the hidden leaf village. She was still new to the amount of sun that this village had and it made her training harder but this didn't stop her as she kicked and punched a lonely tree that she had chosen for training. Although this new member of the leaf village had speed and water style ninjutsu on her side, it was clear to her that she needed to bump up her taijutsu skills as they had been lacking with the long journey she took from her home in the village hidden in the rain. It wasn't until she had been training for a few hours that she heard some foot steps behind her

"Natsuko! " As she turned around, Natsuko's eyes narrowed and she leaned again the tree.

Ever since she had come to the village, her presence had been unwanted. Not everyone wanted her there and many saw her as an outsider. They weren't wrong, she was still in her week of surveillance but all of the ridicule reminded her of the treatment from the rain. As soon as the boy reached her, he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the trunk of the tree.

"There is the outsider!" The boy yelled in her face.

"Get off me!" She screamed as she tried to kick, however she missed and fell towards the ground. This action caused the hair that he was hiding to rip away from her head and she screamed in pain but all that it did was get a laugh from the boy.

"Your so pathetic. No wonder the village hidden in the rain didn't want you around them!" It took all of Natsuko's will power not to scream out her dark secret. The secret that she had kept under such a tight leash since entering the village that it became a heavy burden. Of course she knew that it would come a time when she would have to tell someone, anyone about her past and family but the prospect of having to made her feel physically sick. As tears fell down her cheeks when the boy kicked her Natsuko heard another set of voices, she recognized one as the red fanged boy called Kiba. She had only learnt his name after he had made fun of her name. She didn't blame him, why would anyone from the rain village had a name that meant summer? It was ridiculous!

"Do we really have to help her, Hinata! She's not even a leaf shinobi" Kiba exclaimed as two sets of footsteps jogged over to her. It wasn't until then that the boy had legged it away from her.

Natsuko didn't move, she was so embarrassed. She wasn't even strong enough to face a genin shinobi of the leaf, it was no surprise that the her father had abandoned her when she was just a little girl.

"Oh dear, are you OK?"

"Hinata, don't get to close to her! She might be tricking us"

Kiba's word create more tears that ran down Natsuko's cheeks and as she raised her head and looked him dead in the eye Kiba back up at little. He was taken completely of guard at how much sadness was in her eyes.

"I'm not tricking anyone! I'm so weak, I shouldn't even be called a ninja! Why do you all think that I would come all this way just to trick your village. Have you ever been to the Village hidden in the rain?! It's hell if you are alone, It was as if I was a monster! I..I am a monster! My father made me a monster!" She touched her head and brushed in through her hair before looking at all of the loose hair that was on her hands.

"Do I deserve this?! If I do then I'll take all of it but I can't help who my father is!"

Her eyes widened at her words and she clapped her hands over her mouth. This caused Hinata and Kiba to glance at each other with concerned looks. Natsuko had to think of a way to change the subject before they began asking questions.

"It doesn't matter" She mumbled before wiping her tears away with the back of her hand which left red marks on her cheeks and made her look as if she had been blushing. When she looked up at Kiba he just stared at her.

"You don't trust me, so please just leave me be. I shouldn't be here anyway. Kakashi will get angry"

Before Kiba could snap out of his trance, Natsuko had gotten up and walked away from the two leaf shinobi. It wasn't as if she had anything more to say to them. She knew that even if they did act nice or even mutual towards her that they would never truly trust her. However she had more important things to deal with, like getting back to Kakashi's house before he woke up. With that she ran through the village and quickly entered the house.

"There you are" Was the first thing she heard as she closed the door. Natsuko cursed to herself and looked up at Kakashi with a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Yep, I'm here so I'm just going to go and-" While she was speaking, she had passed by him, towards her room.

"Oh no you don't" Natsuko let out a fed up huff as he grabbed the back of her jacket and dragged her back in front of him.

"This is so embarrassing" She mumbled as Kakashi began talking.

"I could report this to the Hokage "He began to say. No, that was the last thing that Natsuko wanted him to do. She was already on Lady Tsunade's bad side from the first day she came here. If there was any bad news she'd kick Natsuko out of the village for sure.

"But I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and let this one slide. Just this time"

"Really?! Thank you Kakashi!" Natsuko grinned widely and jumped up and down. If she could of got assigned to anyone, she was glad it was Kakashi, he seemed to understand and want to help her.

"Your a life saver, I was training, that's all. Nothing else" She eyes shifted from side to side and as he mad a 'hm' sound Natsuko laid down on the sofa that sat in the middle of the room.

"Oh, no laying down for you. It's time to prove yourself to some of the clans in the village. First stop the The Inuzuka clan"


	3. Chapter 3

"This is not what I signed up for!"

"This is no picnic for me either, princess!" Kiba growled slightly as he dragged her by the collar of her jacket through the village. The looks of the villagers making a slight blush tint her cheeks.

"If you want to live here then you have to do as the Hokage tells you and her orders are for you to help some of the clans out and see what your really like. I wish I wasn't stuck with you for a whole day but what can ya do?"

Natsuko crossed her arms as she was being dragged along. With all the begging she did, it was still near impossible to get out of the day she had to spend with Kiba and his family. It wasn't his family that she didn't like. It was him. Ever since she turned up at the village he had been rude and blunt towards her. Of course she was used to it, however he did it in a way that made her feel as if he was trying to make her react.

When they reached the entrance to his home, he stood her up on her feet and looked down at her with a serious look in his eyes.

"If you insult my clan at all, I won't hesitate to hurt you. Are we clear?" Natsuko looked up at him and stared right into his eyes with her black orbs.

"I thought I told you I have not intention of hurting anyone in this village" The only response she got from him was a slow grunt before he opened the door. As They both walked in they were met by five dogs. A huge smile came onto Natsuko's face and she kneeled down to them.

"Well aren't you three a group of cuties! The village hidden in the rain don't have many animals because of the constant rain." She said as she stroked the dogs gently. The look in her eyes was one of happiness; the complete opposite that Kiba had seen from her earlier that day.

The image of her crying and passionately speaking about how she was created to be a monster was stuck in Kiba's mind but he had no clue why this girl was in his head. It wasn't as if he cared, did he? Before long Kiba shook his head and grunted. "Be careful"

Natsuko looked up at him with a sweet smile before looking back at the dogs in front of her " I told you, I'd never hurt them. I may have been raised until a young age by a horrid group of shinobi but I have a heart"

When she stood up, Kiba glared at her and as soon as he was about to argue with her about her statement, two kunoichi entered the room and walked over to the pair. It wasn't until the oldest of the two walked over to her and stood in her personal space that Natsuko gulped loudly when she looked up at her. The look on the kunoichi's face was one that was very stern and it made Natsuko feel quite nervous.

"Village?"

"Rain"

"Rank?"

"Chunin"

"Chakra nature?"

"Water"

"kekkei genkai?"

"None-e"

When Tsume had finished her integration of the visitor, a loud laugh erupted from her as she stood back.

"Don't look so terrified! We don't bite..much!

Her remark make Kiba groan and roll his eyes slowly. "Mum! She's from the rain, I don't trust her"

Kiba's words brought a frown to his mothers face and she hit him round the head. "If the Hokage let her in then she must me at least safe! Plus she's cute"

Kiba grumbled something about Natsuko being a little cute but it was nearly inaudible to the guest, however Hana seemed to have heard it and smiled widely.

"Has my little brother got a little crush on this sweet rain shinobi" As soon as she had said those words Kiba yelled and Natsuko developed a red blush on her cheeks.

"As if! I still don't trust her, even if she was treated badly in her own village." Natsuko glared at him before sighing and bowing to the two kunoichi in front of her.

"It is very nice to meet you both. I am Natsuko, I have been ordered to help some of the clans in the village as part of my trail period. It would be my honour to help you."

Both Tsume and Hana glanced at each other before smiling down at the girl. "Your too formal, but I'm sure there is some things around that you can help with"

And so with quite resistance from Kiba, Natsuko spent the day around the Inuzuka household helping with the odd jobs and errands that they needed. As the sun began to set, Natsuko was taking a break by sitting on the roof of the house.

"The sun set looks so much more beautiful without rain" Natsuko said to herself, out loud. It wasn't until she heard a voice behind her that she jumped slightly.

"You've never seen it like this?" Kiba said as he sat a distance away from her.

Natsuko was hesitant to respond to him as they way he had treated her since she arrived was less than friendly.

"The rain blocks it" She said bluntly as she stared out over the village. It was so beautiful to her, the sky scrapers of her home village were nothing compared to the wooden buildings that littered the leaf village.

Kiba laid down on the roof and looked up at the sky, waiting for the stars to start appearing. Throughout the silence Natsuko tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make him angry and lash out at her. She looked down at her feet as she brought her knees into her chest.

"I understand why you hate me, I'm a monster. Not only that but I'm from a land were it rains constantly. Some say it's as if the land is always crying. I believe that." She said as she slowly looked up from her feet and to the sky with tears forming in her eyes.

"I came her to find somewhere that I could be safe and make my home. I wanted to be away from the people that raised me and the villagers that treated me as if I was some kind of monster that wasn't human."

Natsuko looked over at Kiba with a sad smile and a tear running down her cheek.

"But even so, even if you hate me I'll never take it out on you or hurt you because of it. I have a lot of hate inside me but I would never led anyone be the victim of it,why? Because I know how much it can hurt. So even if you and the others hate me. I want you to know that I would still consider you a friend. I know that's silly." When she had stopped talking she wiped the tear away and gazed up at the faint stars.

Silence filled the air as Kiba began to register what she had said, was she really that kind hearted that she'd take all of the hate people gave her? And who was this group of people that abandon her? There were so many questions that Kiba wanted to ask her but he knew he'd feel like a fool if he suddenly started acting nice towards her. Before he could wrap his head around the words that she had spoken, Natsuko had stood up.

"I must go, Kakashi has me on a curfew" And with one more look towards Kiba with a small smile she had jumped off the roof and used her incredible speed to jump from building to building back to her temporary home.

Kiba made a facial expression that matched the confusion that was circulating in his mind as he scratched his head before he muttered to himself.

"What is she?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Mum,_

_It rained. I never thought I would of missed rain as much as I did. Kiba is convinced that I made it rain. Not only is that ridiculous but he's an idiot. Speaking of Kiba, I never mentioned him did I? He's pretty dense at times and he makes fun of me all the time but it's not like the people back home, it's different. I consider him a friend even if he treats me badly most of time. Isn't that funny, mum? I have a friends. I never would have believed it either. Although some of them are still on edge around me, I don't mind. It's only a week since I arrived so I don't blame them. _

_I'll tell you what's the funniest part, Sakura keeps yelling at me today because I stand around in the rain. I guess that's not normal here or maybe it's because I'm used to the rain that it never bothers me, but it feels great. The girls here are so nice to me, I've become friends with Sakura, Ino, Tenten and Hinata. They are so nice to me. I don't know if it's because I scare them or if they are being forced but I don't mind. I wish you were here with me, mum. I know you can't but one day, I'll become strong and find you. I know we didn't spent much time together because of the Akatsuki but I know you wanted me to be happy but that isn't a destiny for me. I'll make my own happiness, you know me. Always trying to smile._

_I never told you that I spent a day with the Nara and __Akimichi clans. They are both lovely clans. Shikamaru was a little indifferent towards me, though Ino said that's just how it is and Choji is lovely. I was expecting him to act like the rest towards me but didn't. He was so friendly and I think in the future we could be good friends. I know I won't be able to be close friends with them because of my past and where I come from but maybe I can have positive relationships here._

_I promise we'll meet soon, love Natsuko._

As Natsuko closed the small note pad she was holding, she looked up at the sky and pulled down her umbrella to feel the rain on her skin. She closed her eyes and smiled. She did miss the rain but she wouldn't trade this village for her old one even if she had only spent a week within it's walls. After a week of being marched around the village from clan to clan, it was time for Natsuko to visit the Intel team before she was to visit Lady Tsunade for her judgement on her.

For the last week Kakashi had been the one to escort her around the village but it brought a smile to her face that Ino would be the one taking her to the Intel team. It didn't take Natsuko long to realize that this was because Ino's father was a major role of the team, thanks to her big mouth.

" There's no need to worry! Dad will be going into your mind, to see if you are really safe for the village but I'm positive you'll be OK!" Ino proudly yelled as the pair walked towards the Intel and interrogation building. Although Ino's words were meant to clam Natsuko down, she was still on edge.

The prospect of the village finding out her dark secrets that connected her to the Akatsuki was terrifying her to death. It wasn't as if she was a bad person, she had just been forced to do bad things due to her up bringing. Nothing scared her more than the village she had spent the last week bonding with throwing her back to the village hidden in the rain. Natsuko knew for a fact if she had to be put back in that village the Akatsuki would punish her for trying to escape.

Before she knew it, they were standing outside the building. Ino glanced over at Natsuko with a sincere and calming smile before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Like I said, you'll be fine. There's no need to worry" Little did Ino know there was something to worry about.

"Right" As she put her hand on the door knob and opened it her pupils shrank at the stern faces that were painted onto the interrogation team.

"Hello-o, It's lovely to meet you all" Natsuko's words were leaving her mouth with a stutter and she bowed gently before closing the door behind her and leaving Ino to report back to Kakashi.

The looks she was getting from the team made her more terrified than she had been walking into the building. She knew there was no going back, they were going to find out all of her secrets and there was no way out of it. Different scenarios of being thrown back to the rain village were running through her mind as Ino's father spoke to her.

" Natsuko, Ino had told me that you are safe, however we must look into your mind and see if this is true, please sit down." Inoichi spoke calmly and steadily unlike his daughter. His voice seemed to put Natsuko at ease and she sat down, obeying his orders.

Once he had entered her mind, her body went limp and she lost conciousness of what was going on. Inoichi filed through her memories. The first was the memory from her time sitting on the Inuzuka clan's roof with Kiba. The memory made her look like a sweet, broken girl who just wanted to be accepted and loved by those around her and Inoichi found no problem with this and the following memories of her leaving the rain village. However there were memories that were locked behind doors and with some effort, Inoichi was about to open up the doors but what he found shocked him. It seemed that his girl was indeed connected to the Akatsuki in more ways than one. As he opened up one of the memories Natsuko winced slightly.

* * *

><p>"<em>Your a monster and you will do our bidding, girl!" Kisame shouted at a young Natsuko who was no older than eight. <em>

"_I..I'm trying father" Her shaking words caused a frown to form on Kisame's face and he sent her flying into the wall. _

"_I am no father of yours! You are meant to be our weapon but your so weak!" His words and the pain caused tears to roll down the girls face. It wasn't long before she slowly stood up through the pain. _

" _How could the __Akatsuki__create such a weak ninja. All you have is speed! You disgust me!" When Kisame went to attack her, she moved out of the way quickly._

"_Like you said, father. I have speed." As Natsuko spoke, she wiped away the blood that was coming from her head. _

"_You are useless, even after we put you through the test of killing. You are nothing but trash!" His anger was rising and Natsuko knew what that meant; punishment for being weak. _

_Her speed wasn't enough to stop him from throwing her back into the wall and knocking her unconscious._

* * *

><p>It took Inoichi a few hours to be able to retrieve all of the information that was needed to made a formal assessment on Natsuko and when she woke back up, tears were falling. There was nothing she could do, they knew her connections to the Akatsuki. She was sure that this information would put her place in the village in jeopardy. There was silence throughout the room as Inoichi passed the paper work to one of the guards. The look they gave her filled Natsuko with fear.<p>

"Take this Akatsuki to the Hokage"

Natsuko whimpered as they bound her wrists together and forced her through the door and into the village.

"Hey! That hurts!" She yelled but before she could say anymore Her guard had yelled back at her.

"Be quite, criminal!"

As they came closer to the Hokage's office two familiar faces came into view. Natsuko stared at the two for a moment but out of shame she couldn't take looking at them anymore and glanced away. It wasn't until she heard Kiba's loud voice that she looked up.

"I thought you said you were safe?" The look of his face was a mixture of confusion and anger but Naruto couldn't bring herself to say a word to him. She knew he hated her so why was he bothering with her? She felt so ashamed that her past had been revealed and there was nothing she could do to change her fate.

" Please be careful with my friend" Hinata said quietly as she played with her had. Her friends caring words made Natsuko look at her with a sad look in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata." Was all Natsuko was able to say before the guard shoved her into the Hokage's office. The force of the push caused Natsuko to loose her balance and fall to her knees with a wince. However she didn't have time to get up before the Hokage began looking through the paperwork and yelling.

" When I asked you if you were safe you said yes!" The anger that was protruding from Lady Tsunade was scaring the living daylights out of Natsuko and with a loud gulp she spoke while bowing over and over.

"I am so sorry! I knew that if you found out who my father was and who raised me I'd never be accepted. I just wanted to find somewhere that I could be safe" It wasn't until Natsuko had finished her stammering words that Tsunade rubbed her temples and glared at the girl in front of her.

"I am going to ask you this one time and you better tell me the truth other wise your going to be in a lot of pain. Is it because of you that Pain is about to attack the village!"

Natsuko eyes widened and her pupils contracted. Was it her fault? No, of course not! She had no clue why he was here but she had no information on his plan. How could she of? They despised her.

"No, I had no idea he had such a plan!" She screamed and wiped her tears away as she took up.

"Please, allow me to help protect the village. I know that you may not trust me but I can help. Let me prove myself" The silence that filled the room seemed to create such a cold atmosphere and the stare that Natsuko was getting from the Hokage would have turned her to stone.

" One chance." Was all the Hokage said before ripping the rope that was bounding Natsuko hands off. As she rubbed her wrists a there seemed to be chaos developing outside.

"It's time"


	5. Chapter 5

The village.

It was falling apart.

Nothing could of braced Natsuko for the devastation that was being created by Pain. She had to do something to help save the village as if it was her own. It was at this point that her speed kicked in and she jumped through the rubble that littered the streets to get to the main battle area where Pain was. As she reached the area she saw Hinata getting ready to jump in. It was clear to Natsuko that she must have been late to the battle.

"Hinata! Stop!" Natsuko screamed as she jumped off the rubble and stood next to her friend. Her actions made Hinata stop in her tracks and look up at the blue haired girl.

Something had changed in Natsuko. Her normal smile had been replaced with a frown and her black eyes were full of determination. As Natsuko pulled out a kunai she grabbed her hair so that it was bunched together and in one quick movement her long hair fell to the ground. Hinata looked up at her friend with watery eyes and she pulled Natsuko in a hug. Her actions surprised Natsuko greatly as she had come to know Hinata as a shy girl but something was different in both of them. It was the anger and the need to protect what they cared for that was making them act differently than usual.

"This is partly my fight. He wants both Naruto and I. I will not let you get hurt!" Her words were full of venom towards Pain and the Akatsuki.

"I've learnt that all of this anger needs to be freed and it will be used to take down Pain." Her expression switched back to a bright smile when she looked down at Hinata.

"No need to worry, I'm fast. He won't get me. You can trust me, Hinata." After she patted Hinata's head gently she jumped down into crater that Pain had made.

Once Natsuko was at the bottom she planted her feet on the ground and stared at Pain with a look that could kill. They both stood there staring at each other for a few minutes as if they were trying to kill each other with looks. Although it may of looked that way by outsiders this was Natsuko's way of greeting one of the men who treated her like scum throughout her childhood. The silence wasn't broken until Pain spoke with a low laugh.

"The useless weapon has come to defeat me? How cute, I thought you learnt your lesson back then. who knew you'd come here." His words put a deep frown onto Natsuko face and she pointed at him.

"I am not useless! Being in this village has taught me that even if you think I'm useless, I'm not. I have people who care about me. Sure there are people who still don't trust me and think I am a threat but I am going to prove to them right here and now that I am useful by killing you, Uncle!"

She yelled her words at him before looking over at the crown that were gathering round the edge of the battle field. Her eyes snapped to Kiba who was staring at her with those stone cold eyes.

"And Kiba! The rain may be something that you find unnecessary and pointless but even the smallest droplet of water can make something beautiful grow" As she looked back at Pain she cracked her knuckles and put her hands together with determination written all over her face.

Pain narrowed his eyes at her and began his attack. It seemed his intention was indeed to kill her as he threw wave after wave of weapons at her. Luckily for Natsuko her speed was enough to aid her in dodging them and when she landed back on the ground she beamed.

"Now it's my turn. Ninja Art: Water Prison jutsu!" Once the words left her mouth and the hand signed had been created a orb of water surrounded Pain. However it wasn't enough to hold him and when the water exploded it sent Natsuko flying into the ground, next to Naruto.

The impact of her body on the ground caused Natsuko to groan in pain and cough heavily. It wasn't until the cloud of dust had cleared that she noticed Naruto.

"Stop, Natsuko. He's going for the kill" Her attention turned towards him and with a wave of pain she patted his head.

"He's after me too, I'll do whatever it takes for this village" It took all of her will power and strength to raise her head. However when she did something made contact with her back which sent agonising pain to wash through her body and the only thing she could do was scream.

"Just as weak as you had always been, our little monster"

Monster. That word caused Natsuko eyes to widen and with the little bit of strength she could master she pushed herself onto her feet.

"Monster?" It was as if she was questioning herself.

"That's right, you remember don't you? Your the Akatsuki's little experimental monster" Pain was taunting her with those words. Natsuko had never taken to the word very well and it's presence made her angry. Was she really a monster? It was hard for her to tell anymore but the more she thought about it the more strength she lost and suddenly she fell to the ground as Pain laughed.

"I'm a monster" Natsuko muttered into the dirt. If she was truly a monster then it was about time she showed the shinobi world that monster. It took everything she had to stand up and wipe the blood away from her mouth.

Her hands came together and as she closed her eyes a blue aura surrounded her. It was as if a cool flame had engulfed her. When she lightly bit her thumb and pushed her hands back together she opened her eyes which had changed from the dull black colour to a piecing blue.

"Summoning jutsu!" Once the words had left her mouth there was a cloud of smoke and a large sword that resembles Kisame's Samehada sword appeared. Though there were many difference between the two swords. Natsuko's version had none of the special abilities of absorbing chakra like the original and it also had no conscience that stopped anyone from wielding it. It many ways the only similarities between the two were the apprentices.

"You kept that piece of trash?"

"It may have been trash you you, Pain but this sword was forged by my father and as much I despise that man, it has kept me safe and now you will die by it's hand!" Natsuko screamed before charging straight at the man standing in front of her. With her speed she was able to push he tip of the sword through his stomach. However once she had pieced his skin her eyes widened in fear as he whispered into her ear.

"The people you call friends will never accept something so pitiful as you" These were the last words that Natsuko heard from Pain before he gripped her by the collar and slammed her into the ground with great force.

It was hard for Natsuko to keep herself from entering the world of the unconscious but before the darkness took her, she heard Hinata confess her love for Naruto but there was another voice with her. There was only one person that had such a rough and blunt speech pattern and he was fighting with Hinata.

Kiba.

* * *

><p>The rest of the battle was a blur for Natsuko as she kept wavering between being concious but when she gently opened her eyes the pain of her battle seemed to be subsiding slightly. That wasn't to say that she wasn't in pain, on the contrary it felt as if a truck had hit her. However when she glanced to the side of her she saw Sakura trying to heal her and with a cough she began to sit up though Sakura had other plans and tried to push her back down but to no prevail.<p>

"You tried to save us and now look at you. Honestly your such an idiot." Why was she starting to smile? Why weren't they trying to hurt her? So many thoughts ran round her head but she sat up anyway, the blood rushing to Natsuko's head.

As she looked round at the devastation that the battle had made a horrible feeling entered her heart. She wasn't sure if it was guilt or the pain of the battle but she didn't like it at all. Even though it wasn't her that caused all of this destruction she still felt partly to blame for what had happened to the village.

"Natsuko"

That voice, Kiba looked pretty beaten up but he still crouched in front of her and opened up his hand. As she looked down he was clutching her cut off hair. The vibrant blue colour brought a smile to her lips.

"I always hated that hair, it's like a blueberry." She said with a little chuckle as she looked up at him with a smile. It came to a surprise to everyone that she some how could find something to smile about after the beating she had gotten.

"You really didn't lie when you said you always found something to always smile about and you know.." He looked down at her with a slight blush on his cheeks and she scratched the back of his head with his free hand.

"Your hair's pretty cool..for being the colour of a blueberry" With Kiba's words, Natsuko nodded and pushed the blue hair out of his hand. As their hands touched something struck Natsuko but it wasn't something she had felt before. Her stomach was full of butterflied and if felt as if her heart was beating a mile a minute.

_What is this? My heart. It's beating so fast._

Natsuko quickly brought her hand back to her side and gave him a sweet smile.

"Thank you for finally trust me Kiba." With her words, Kiba's eyes locked on hers and they stared at each other for a few moments. Either of them knew what going on but their moment was soon cut short by Sakura hitting Natsuko over the head.

"There's no time for this! Naruto and pain have gone to finish their battle!"

Natsuko laughed slightly with a reassuring smile on her and looked over to the directions that the commotion was happening.

"From what you've told me of Naruto, he'll be OK. Pain may be hooked on peace in his way but I'm sure Naruto can bring him round."

"After all that seems to be Naruto's special gift"


	6. Chapter 6

"Sakura!" Ino jogged up to her pink haired friend who leaning against a pile of logs with a smile.

"Have you seen Natsuko any where? All three of us are meant to be gathering some more herbs for the medical core" Sakura shook her head at Ino's question and sighed.

"No I haven't. Maybe she training again? I swear she's worse than Lee sometimes."

"I don't blame her, after the village was destroyed and she couldn't do much to save it. Plus she lost that weird sword she had, all that's left was the strange handle."

The two young kunoichi couldn't agree more. Since the attack on the village a few weeks prior Natsuko had been taking any chance to bump up her skills. Though she had not been left of the hook for her past, with the Hokage in a coma there wasn't much they could do about it. After she had tried to protect the village with her life, many came to trust her more.

Kiba wasn't an exception. Since the incident they had been seen together more. Though most of it was just training or helping around the village, he seemed more relaxed around her even if he still made fun of her for the smallest things. Most of it would consist of her hair and the fact that she loved the rain. He had to much pride to treat her any different but Natsuko didn't seem bothered by it, in fact she seemed happy for it. Though it was hard for most of the shinobi to know if it bothered or not as she never seemed bothered by much unless she was fuming.

"Let's go find her, I'm sure she's just training" Ino nodded at her friends statement and they both made their way towards the only training area that was still usable.

Once they arrived at the training area they both stopped walking and observed the blue haired girl that was sitting cross legged in the middle of the grassy field as it seemed that Natsuko was concentrating. Natsuko had her hands together with her eyes closed. She was concentrating her chakra flow before standing up and forming a quick link of hand signs and speaking.

"Ninja Art: Flower Fountain!" As the words left her lips she pressed her palms to the ground and in an instant a small garden of flowers appeared that were formed out of water. Once the jutsu was over she stood up smiled. That was until she heard Ino and Sakura admire her work.

"That was beautiful! How did you do that?!" Ino squealed as she looked at the flowers gently loose their shape and return to water.

"Oh that? Just a silly jutsu I created to help me with chakra control" An embarrassed blush was creeping onto Natsuko's cheeks. As she rubbed the back of her head nervously she spoke to change the subject.

"Was there something you needed me for?" It was almost like something had suddenly hit Ino and she laughed.

"Oh yes! We would like your help in finding more herbs for the medical core and don't worry I've already passed it by Kakashi so your good to go!" Natsuko smiled at Ino's request and nodded.

"Of course, I'd love to help."

"Natsuko there something I wanted to ask you" Ino said softly as she scanned through the over growth for anything that could be useful.

Natsuko looked over at her with several pictures in her hands as references of what she was meant to picking and with a nod she allowed Ino to continue.

"You and Kiba spend a lot of time together" With her words Sakura turned round with a mischievous look lathered over her face and with a low chuckle she pointed at a slightly nervous Natsuko.

"That's right! So what's going on, are you two an item?!" Sakura left out a slight squeal before Natsuko shook her head with a smile.

"We only spend time together when I am helping around the village, It's a coincidence is all and in any case I'm not part of your village officially so I just do as I'm told" Ino and Sakura looked at each other before nodding and tackling the poor girl to the ground.

"Hey! What's going on!?" Natsuko yelled as she tried to push the two girls off her but against Sakura's monstrous strength and Ino's stubborn attitude she was unable to get up.

"This isn't fair! " Natsuko pouted slightly and left out a sigh. There was no way she would be getting out of this situation without being embarrassed and the sooner she told the two girls her feelings the sooner she would be able to get back to the mission at hand.

"Fine! I think he's cute is that what you wanted to hear!?" The pout returned to her lips as the two girls got up off her with a laugh.

"See it wasn't that hard, no was it?" Ino said as she winked and help out a hand to Natsuko. Once she had taken Ino's hand and stood up she rubbed the back of her head and awkwardly laughed before she went back to pick up the photos of the herbs she had dropped when she got tackled. As Natsuko stared at them, her brows knitted together in concentration.

_Why did Ino pick me for the duty? I don't know anything about all of the herbs. I'm sure there was another medical ninja that could of helped so why me? And why did those two think Kiba and I are together? He may treat me a little better since I tried to defend the village but I'm still a shinobi of the rain, plus since people found out I'm Kisame's daughter I've had people talk about how I'm part shark. The only part of me that is anything to do with sharks is my water style._

Natsuko shook off all of her thoughts and went back to searching for the correct herbs that were needed for the village. She would just have to wait for Lady Tsunade to awaken before any action was taken on her future with the village hidden in the leaf but until then Natsuko planned on helping out with the reconstruction of the village and await her fate.

After a few hours of searching for herbs and coming up with a bounty of ingredients the three girls decided to sit down and have a quite picnic as a break from their work. As they sat quietly with a freshly brewed cup of tea and delectably finger foods Ino looked up at Natsuko and asked her something that had been bugging her since she had arrived at the village.

"Natsuko, how are you such a sweet girl with a father from the Akatsuki?" Ino's questions made Natsuko freeze slightly and Sakura punched Ino on the arm.

"You can't ask her that its-" Sakura was interrupted by a smiling Natsuko and shook her head.

"It's OK, Sakura. Really, I should tell you more about my life if you are to trust me. Well you see my mother was a beautiful and caring villager. It didn't matter what was going on and how she was dragged into the darkness, she never stopped smiling. I guess you could say that is where I get it from. I always put on a smile so that the people I care about the most don't feel sad and to find the bright side of everything is just something I had learned." Natsuko took a sip of her tea before pulling out a small folded up photo that was in her pocket. The photo included a beautiful woman with long wavy hair that stopped around her waist and she worse a simple black kimono.

"That is my mother, beautiful isn't she? She was a great artist. I remember being fascinated with her work" Ino glanced at Sakura before looking and the photo.

"That is where you get your artist muse for your jutsu from then, wait. So your mother wasn't a ninja?"

"No, she was a painter but father took an interest in her when they were young. Way before she joined the Akatsuki. A lot of it is a blur but I'm sure she's still alive" Sakura frowned slightly and tiled her head slightly.

"Wait, that doesn't add up. If both your parents are from the mist then why are you from the rain?" Natsuko rubbed the back of head and sighed.

"Well, it was easier for them to keep an eye on me and punish me if I was under the watchful eye of Pain. Either village would have been bad for a child to grow up in if they were connected to the Akatsuki." Her own words made Natsuko look down at the photo with tears forming in her eyes. When Ino saw her tears she took Natsuko's hands and smiled brightly.

"Don't you worry, Natsuko! We are friends now and I will do anything make sure you are safe in the leaf."

"Me too!" Sakura smirked slightly with her words. The tears that were in Natsuko's eyes were now running down her cheeks as she smiled. The tears had down from sad ones to being filled with happiness.


	7. Chapter 7

Natsuko rubbed her eyes gently and stared at the white ceiling that had been teasing her for hours. Sleep wasn't coming easy to her and the ticking of the clock beside her makeshift bed wasn't helping the situation. As she sat up and put her bare feet on the cold ground the over sized shirt that she had been given by her host had risen up slightly. Once Natsuko was up, she pulled it back down so that it hovered mid way up her thigh and walked out of the living room that was meant to be her sleeping area until the Hokage was concious. The cold floor against her feet caused Natsuko to quickly and silently walk up the stairs with a quickened pace than usual. Once she was in front of her hosts room she stood in the door frame, rubbing her eyes with her hand.

The movements that she made woke the teenager up and he stared at her for a few moments. The view he was seeing took his breath away. Natsuko was wearing one of his shirts as bed wear due to the fact that she still had no possessions. Her vibrant blue hair was a mess unlike her usual look and to add to the image her pale cheeks seemed to be tinted with colour from the cold temperature. With a sweet and gentle tone Natsuko spoke.

"Kiba-kun?" Natsuko left out a little yawn before looking at his shocked face.

"May I stay with you tonight? It's very cold down stairs and I can't seem to sleep."

Kiba had no words for the scene in front of him. If it was him, he would be saying yes without hesitation, however his pride was still intact and he didn't want to let his guard down even for such a beautiful girl and so with a yawn accompanied with eye roll he nodded. Natsuko blushed slightly but she was too cold to let her own barriers get in the way of sleep and so she walked over to him slowly before getting into the opposite side of the bed. Once the warmth of the new environment hit Natsuko's body she let out a quite sigh and burrowed into the sheets which caused Kiba to let out a unintentional chuckle.

"Oh it's nothing" He mumbled awkwardly as he faced his back to her. However before the depths of sleep took him, Natsuko murmured a thank you to him.

"Thank you, Kiba-kun. I know I can be a burden..so thank you" As soon as those words had left her mouth, she allowed herself to settle down to sleep.

It wasn't long before Natsuko had been woken up by her own mind recreating the horrific memories of the deaths she had caused to people because of the Akatsuki's orders when she was just a little girl. As she looked down at her shaking hands, Natsuko tried to steady her breath but it was no use, the memories were too much for her and it wasn't until she had felt a pair of strong arms hold her to their owners chest that she realized she had been crying. His warmth and stable heartbeat began to soothe Natsuko's own troubles. She didn't dare to look at who it was but she knew just by the scent that it was Kiba. Only he owned an earthy aroma blended with the faint scent of dog that Natsuko had noticed far too much over the time she had spent in the leaf village.

"Kiba-kun-n" Natsuko tried to speak but her voice was shaking which let Kiba know that she was still in a state of shock from her nightmare and so to counter this he gently patted her head with his signature smirk on his lips.

"It was just a nightmare, little rain" Natsuko looked up at him at his words and a small smile slipped onto her lips.

"That's a nickname now is it?"

"You got it!" Kiba nodded and lift her chin up with a finger. They were both being led by their hearts and not their heads after the events of that night but Kiba knew one thing was certain. He saw more in this Akatsuki runaway than he first thought.

The two shinobi stared into each others eyes for what felt like hours but was more likely to result to minutes. It wasn't until Kiba slowly inched his face towards Natsuko's that her heart rate began to accelerate to a worrying pace. Kiba chuckled gently at the scarlet blush that was burning on Natsuko's cheeks as he gently brushed his lips against hers. There was so much she never realized about the boastful and troublesome boy that she had come to know but it was if she was seeing him in a whole different light.

"Kiba-a?" Natsuko's voice was shaking with a combination of anticipation and shock but it seemed Kiba had a plan. As Kiba placed his hands softly on her cheeks their lips met in a soft and tender kiss. The warmth of his lips against hers was enough for Natsuko to snap out of her shocked state of mind and kiss him back with the same pressure. It was as if her mind was being fogged up with all of the feelings she had gained for this dog handler since being in the village and the only thing that she was able to concentrate on was him. All of the worries and memories of the nightmares had vanished in an instant.

It was only a small and gently kiss but as the pair pulled away it was easy for them to tell that the other was in the same boat. Natsuko smiled sweetly at him with a heavy blush over taking her face which made him chuckle at the rain shinobi.

"Oh my gosh" Was all Natsuko said before she put her blushing face in her hands with a giggle. The kiss was more than her sweet heart could take and she fell back onto the pillow with a big smile on her face.

_Maybe I do finally belong, I finally found my home, mum._


	8. Chapter 8

A thick silence filled the air as Kiba escorted Natsuko to the make shift office of the recently awoken Hokage. The kiss that they had shared had taken them off guard and now that it had sunken in neither knew how to act towards the other. Natsuko seemed to have a permanent scarlet blush on her cheeks as she walked close to the dog handler. As she glanced up at him to see his hands behind his head as he walked her mind began to wonder about them.

" You know, Natsuko-" Kiba scratched his cheeks before placing his hands back behind his head. His eyes avoiding any contact with her. At his words she glanced up at him with a smile.

"Yes, Kiba-kun?" Her head tilted slightly as the pair made their way to their destination, her glimmering eyes made him suddenly incredibly nervous. It had come to his attention that she was able to made the normally confident and rash dog handler into a nervous wreck. After Kiba had collected his emotions and returned to normal he smiled at her with his usual cheeky grin.

"Let's celebrate you officially being part of this village with some BBQ later!"

"And what if I have to return to my own village?" Natsuko's eyes were full of fear and self-doubt. She had come to love this village and everyone within it. The idea of being turned back over to the rain and being taken back by the Akatsuki terrified her. Little did she know that Kiba was able to see that in her eyes and so he placed a hand on her shoulder.

" I won't let that happen to our village's rain girl." As Kiba realized that he must of sounded emotional he stumbled and rush his next words.

"Plus, I'm pretty sure Ino would fight for you until the end. She's taken a real liking to you"

That was true, Ino and Natsuko had become good friends over the weeks that she had come to the village. It was almost as if the two kunoichi's had been long lost friends with the fast bond they had gained. It seemed that Ino brought out Natsuko's confidence while the happy go lucky rain ninja helped to calm Ino's loud temperament. What ever the reason they were two peas in a pod and nothing seemed to shake that.

"She's been so kind to me, I never had a close bond with people like I have built while I've been here. Even if I get sent back I will cherish these bonds" A sad smile developed on her lips before Kiba grabbed her wrists and stopped them walking.

"You don't have to be so happy about everything! This is something to be sad about, I won't let you go that easily!" The raw emotion was coming through his rusty voice and as the kunoichi gazed up at his their eyes locked onto each others.

"Kiba-kun-n" Her voice wavered gently as if she was on the verge of crying, not from the grip he had on her but from the emotional pain that she had been holding back.

It was with this that Kiba spontaneously brought her into a tight hug and refused to let go. Silence filled the once again as they stood in each others embrace. Natsuko's feelings towards him were still confusing to her. She knew that she indeed had feelings towards the loud and sometimes obnoxious dog handler but she had no way of expressing them in fear of being too forward or losing the bond they had made. It wasn't long before Kiba separated himself from her and pulled her towards the Hokage in silence.

Once the two shinobi had reached the entrance to the tent that was being used by the Hokage as a temporary office Kiba ruffled Natsuko's hair gently which brought a deep blush back to her cheeks.

"Be your adorable self and everything will work out!" Natsuko was going to challenge his words but before she was able to even spoke a word he had pushed her through the tents entrance. As she stared at the Hokage she bowed nervously.

" Your week of probation was up a long time a go wasn't it, Natsuko." It was more of a statement than questions that came for Tsunade but all the same the rain ninja nodded gracefully.

"Yes, milady. In that week I spent under Kakashi Hatake's watchful eye, I spent days with selected clans within your village. From what I gathered I was very useful to each one. I am very sorry for the trouble I caused during Pain's attack on your fair village." After Natsuko had finished her speech, she hung her head before Tsunade let out a quite chuckle.

"Trouble? You put your life on the line to protect Naruto who you had never met. From the intel gathered by my people you tried your hardest to protect this village; One that you had no ties or order to protect but you did so with your life. If that isn't what makes a kunoichi truly strong then I don't know what does. What concerns me is this is not a teaching they hold strong in Amegakure is it?"

"No, Milady. We are taught that comrades are only a tool to complete missions and when it comes do to it, they can be replaced. I never held this lesson to heart. I wanted to believe that comrades were there to make you stronger. Before my mother disappeared taught me that if I believed something was worth saving then I should do what I could to save it from harm. I saw this village as something I must protect and even if I am sent back to the rain-" Natsuko paused slight and put her hand over her heart, pure determination on her face. Her body language spoke louder than her words, it would be obvious to even the slowest of minds that she held Konoha close to her heart.

"I will continue to protect the leaf in any way possible. I have come to know so many people that have made my life worth living and I would not allow them to come to any type of harm!" Tsunade's eyes widened slightly at Natsuko's heart felt speech and a small smiled developed on her lips. With silence's the Hokage got up from her seat and walked over to Natsuko with a smirk.

"Close your eyes" As the Hokage demanded , Natsuko obeyed and closed her eyes. A gasped left her lips as a forehead protector was wrapped around her forehead and tighten up from the back of her head.

"Welcome to Konoha, Natsuko. From your actions during pains attack, I award you the rank of chunin and the tittle of Natsuko of the rain." Natsuko opened her eyes at the Hokage's words. Tears rimmed her eyes as she bowed a few times in happiness.

"Thank you, so much, Milady. I will do my best to protect and serve this village with my heart and soul!"

* * *

><p>As Natsuko exited the tent she jumped up and down in front of Kiba with a wide grin on her pale face as she tapped the metal surface of her shiny new forehead protector.<p>

"I'm officially a leaf kunoichi!" With that Kiba flung her over his shoulder and ran off towards the restaurant.

" And now for your congratulations treat! BBQ!"

Natsuko didn't bother fighting against it, she was too happy with how things had been turning out. Not only was she away from the Akatsuki but was now a leaf ninja and she felt like she belonged.


End file.
